INCITS Biometrics Chairman Speaks at Homeland Security Meeting

Development and Adoption of INCITS 385-2004, Face Recognition Format for Data Interchange standard by DHS explained

Washington, DC, December 13, 2004 – Fernando Podio, the chair of the InterNational Committee for Information Technology Standards (INCITS) -Biometrics (M1) technical committee, today presented the evolution of the INCITS 385 standard as a featured speaker at the ANSI Homeland Security Standards Panel (HSSP) Plenary in Gaithersburg, Maryland. The plenary was held at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) headquarters, and was the third such meeting sponsored by the ANSI HSSP. Mr. Podio is a member of the Computer Security Division of the Information Technology Laboratory at NIST and is responsible for NIST’s biometrics standards program.

In his presentation to the plenary attendees, Mr. Podio discussed the portfolio of biometric standards under development within INCITS M1 technical committee and the role of INCITS M1 in biometric international standards development. He specifically focused on the successful development of INCITS 385 – Information Technology – Face Recognition Format for Data Interchange in INCITS M1, and the recent adoption of the standard by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Mr. Podio’s presentation followed the opening remarks of Dr. Bert Coursey of the Science & Technology Directorate of DHS. In his remarks, Dr. Coursey also highlighted the ongoing standards collaboration between DHS and INCITS, as well as DHS’ recent adoption of INCITS 385.

The invitation for the INCITS M1 chair to speak at the ANSI HSSP plenary was another in a series of high visibility appearances by INCITS technical committee chairs focused on cutting edge standards development. Pat Morris, the Executive Director of INCITS and member of the HSSP, stated after the presentation, “Mr. Podio’s timely presentation regarding the important work of INCITS in biometrics was well-received today, and provided a great opportunity to highlight the importance of information technology standards for homeland security.”

The mission of the American National Standards Institute’s Homeland Security Standards Panel (ANSI-HSSP) is to identify existing consensus standards, or, if none exists, assist the Department of Homeland Security and those sectors requesting assistance in the development and adoption of consensus standards critical to homeland security. The panel is composed of representatives of industry, government, professional societies, trade associations, standards developers, and consortia groups directly involved in U.S. homeland security standardization.

INCITS 385-2004 can be obtained through the INCITS Web site http://www.incits.org/. More information on INCITS and INCITS M1 – Biometrics may also be obtained from the INCITS Web site.

About INCITS The mission of the InterNational Committee for Information Technology Standards (INCITS) is to promote the effective use of Information and Communication Technology through standardization in a way that balances the interests of all stakeholders and increases the global competitiveness of the member organizations. INCITS serves as the

U.S. Technical Advisory Group for ISO/IEC Joint Technical Committee 1, which is responsible for international standardization in the field of information technology. INCITS and the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI) are jointly accredited by, and operate under rules approved by, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). These rules are designed to ensure that voluntary standards are developed by the consensus of directly and materially affected interests. For further informa tion, please contact INCITS, 1250 Eye St. NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20005 (www.incits.org).

From 1997-2001, INCITS operated under the name Accredited Standards Committee NCITS, National Committee for Information Technology Standards. From 1961- 1996, NCITS operated under the name Accredited Standards Committee X3, Information Technology.